The Elven Cultivator

Chapter 310: Chapter 283: The Elf Blocking the Way

Over the seas of the southern continent.

The formation of Giant Dragons flew low and scattered, the airflow from their flapping wings plowing white furrows into the sea’s surface, only to be swallowed by the waves an instant later.

Saphiras flew at the very front, his vertical pupils sweeping across the unobstructed expanse of sea around them. The nerves that had been stretched taut for days finally relaxed a fraction.

Worried the coalition army would discover they hadn’t perished in the Storm Rift Abyss, Saphiras hadn’t dared to delay. As soon as his kin had recovered slightly, he led them from the Holy Dragon Mountain Range under the cover of night.

Fortunately, the journey had been smooth so far.

After leaving the Holy Dragon Mountain Range, they had journeyed south, hiding by day and traveling by night. Using every means to conceal their tracks, they had finally reached this sea in one piece.

This was the extreme south of the continent, near the Netherworld Sea Trench. Almost no intelligent life forms ever came here.

Having reached this point, their plan was already halfway to success.

Saphiras glanced back at his exhausted kin and said in a deep voice, ”Hold on a little longer. The Eternal Night Islands are just ahead. We’ll stop and rest when we get there.”

Hearing this, the Giant Dragons managed to rally their spirits, their flight speed increasing slightly.

Saphiras looked away, his heart heavy.

’The Netherworld Sea Trench is a harsh environment. In our current state, going straight down would be suicide.’

’We must first find a place to heal our wounds and build up enough stamina to survive in a place like that.’

’Once our injuries have mostly recovered, we’ll also need to use an Array to carve out a space deep in the trench, isolated from the seawater, to serve as our future foothold.’

Saphiras sighed inwardly, temporarily pushing these worries to the back of his mind as he raised his head and gazed ahead.

At the edge of his vision, where the sea met the sky, a faint silhouette was vaguely visible.

The islands’ outline flickered in and out of the darkness, like a colossal beast lying prone on the sea’s surface, silent and grim.

”It’s the Eternal Night Islands.”

A Giant Dragon noticed the distant outline and cried out in pleasant surprise.

The spirits of the Giant Dragons lifted, and the movements of their flapping wings became a little crisper.

But just then, Saphiras abruptly halted and let out a low, deep shout.

”Stop!”

The Giant Dragons all braked to a halt, looking at Saphiras with confusion.

”Lord Saphiras, what’s wrong?” a Stoneheart Dragon couldn’t help but ask.

”Something’s not right up ahead.”

Saphiras’s vertical pupils were fixed on the islands before them, a flicker of alarm and suspicion in their depths.

The Stoneheart Dragon was about to ask another question, but in the next moment, an incredibly sharp aura suddenly erupted from the direction of the islands, soaring into the sky.

The Giant Dragons turned their heads in astonishment, only to see a beam of profound gold light shoot up from the distant islands. In the blink of an eye, it crossed the vast distance and hovered before their formation.

The light receded, revealing a slender figure.

Pointed ears, long, pale-gold hair, a young and placid face, and a moon-white robe that fluttered in the sea breeze.

It was an Elf.

The Giant Dragons were completely stunned.

’How could there be an Elf in a place like this?’

And soon, one of the Giant Dragons recognized the Elf’s identity.

”That Profound Gold Sword Light, and he’s an Elf... This guy is the Fallen Dragon Sword Saint!”

At these words, the other Giant Dragons were all greatly shocked.

The name Fallen Dragon Sword Saint was known by almost everyone, even within the Dragon Race.

After all, his combat record was nothing short of legendary.

Of the eighteen destroyed nodes in the Subspace, at least four were inextricably linked to him!

One of them could even be said to have been destroyed by him single-handedly.

The number of peak Legendary Giant Dragons who had died by his sword alone was as high as four!

The entire Dragon Race loathed this Fallen Dragon Sword Saint.

And yet, at this very moment, this person who should have been hundreds of thousands of miles away had appeared here.

How could they not be shocked and bewildered?

Anton paid no mind to the panicking Giant Dragons.

His gaze fell directly on Saphiras. He looked him up and down a few times, then sighed softly.

”Just as I thought. Trying to ambush a Saint with an Array is a bit too wishful.”

”Oh well. It was just a tentative attempt. It doesn’t matter that it failed.”

The hearing of the Giant Dragons present was far superior to that of ordinary people, and they heard Anton’s soft mutterings with perfect clarity. Incredulous expressions appeared on all their faces.

’From the sound of it... the Fallen Dragon Sword Saint knew we would be here all along?’

’But how is that possible?’

’Before entering the Storm Rift Abyss, even we weren’t sure we could make it out alive.’

’Getting through that forbidden land of death was purely a matter of luck.’

’Even the final destination was known only to Lord Saphiras; the rest of us had no idea where we were going.’

’How did the Fallen Dragon Sword Saint know?’

Saphiras was just as alarmed and uncertain.

He immediately spread his senses, his Spiritual Power extending in all directions like invisible threads.

But his probing revealed nothing.

Besides Anton, there wasn’t a single other intelligent life form around.

Saphiras’s gaze returned to Anton, doubt welling in his heart.

As if guessing his thoughts, a derisive smile touched the corners of Anton’s mouth.

”No need to guess. It’s just me here.”

Saphiras’s vertical pupils narrowed slightly as he asked in a deep voice, ”Since you knew we were coming, why didn’t you notify the coalition army?”

Anton replied calmly, ”Because you are my prey, of course. I don’t intend to share with others.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the Giant Dragons erupted in fury, glaring at Anton.

Saphiras’s eyes also turned cold.

”I don’t know how you knew we would be here, but if you came alone, then I can only say you are incredibly foolish.”

”A mere Legendary Tier, daring to make the outrageous claim of hunting a Saint. Your arrogance knows no bounds.”

Saphiras’s tone was filled with unconcealed contempt.

Even if he was injured and not at his peak, he was not someone a mere Legendary Tier could provoke.

’I can’t understand where Anton’s confidence comes from, but I don’t need to.’

’Since this opponent has delivered himself to my doorstep, there’s no reason to hesitate.’

’I’ll just kill him!’

”We’ll see if it’s arrogance after we fight.”

Anton gave a derisive smile and spoke coolly.

The moment his voice fell, the Profound Gold Sword Light hovering beside him flared, its clear hum slicing through the night sky.

In the next instant, the sword light suddenly divided.

Two hundred and fifty-six beams of sword light shot toward Saphiras like falling stars, tearing through the air.

A cold glint flashed in Saphiras’s vertical pupils, killing intent surging in his heart.

He thrust a claw forward, and a gale suddenly erupted in the void.

Invisible air currents gathered and compressed between his claws, instantly forming a cyan hurricane a hundred meters in diameter that rushed toward the sword light with a sharp whistle.

Wherever the hurricane passed, the air was torn with countless fine cracks, and the sea’s surface was gouged tens of meters deep by the sheer wind pressure.

The sword light and the hurricane collided violently in mid-air.

A muffled explosion erupted. A shockwave radiated from the point of impact, pressing a huge crater into the surface of the sea and sending waves splashing in all directions.

The sword light was swept back by the hurricane, tumbling a few times in the air before stabilizing.

The hurricane, however, only paused for a moment before continuing its frenzied charge toward Anton.

Meanwhile, the other Giant Dragons retreated, creating distance to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

But not a single Giant Dragon chose to flee.

They hovered in the air from a distance, their vertical pupils fixed on the battlefield.

’Lord Saphiras will definitely be able to kill this arrogant Elf.’

They were certain of it.

’The gap between a Saint and a Legend is not something that can be bridged by arrogance and luck.’

’If, by some chance... if Lord Saphiras really loses...’

’With the speed and power the Fallen Dragon Sword Saint has shown, even if we scattered and fled, we wouldn’t be able to escape his pursuit.’

”What’s more, since Anton knows our whereabouts, if he leaves here alive and informs the coalition army, an overwhelming encirclement will be waiting for us.”

’At that point, we’d have nowhere to run either.’

No matter the scenario, there was no need for them to take the opportunity to flee.

Staying and waiting for the outcome of the battle was their only option.

Seeing Saphiras once again easily repel the sword light and conjure a hurricane that forced Anton to dodge repeatedly, the Giant Dragons showed expressions of excitement.

”As expected of Lord Saphiras.”

”The overconfident fool. Did he really think that just because he’s somewhat famous in the Legendary Tier, he could contend with a Saint?”

”Later, I’m going to take his skull back to commemorate our fallen kin!”

Before the echoes of the Giant Dragons’ words had even faded, the situation at the center of the battlefield changed abruptly.

The beams of sword light hovering in the air were suddenly tinged with a deep, earthy-yellow glow, gaining a dense, mountain-like weightiness out of thin air.

In the next instant, they once again tore through the air toward Saphiras.

The speed of the sword light hadn’t changed, but the overwhelming oppressive feeling was completely different.

Before the sword light even arrived, a heavy pressure surged from all directions, compressing the air until it felt solid.

Saphiras instinctively sensed something was wrong, his vertical pupils contracting slightly.

He thrust out his claw again. The gales coalesced between his claws, forming a cyan hurricane even fiercer than the last, and sent it to meet the sword light.

This time, however, the result was completely different.

In a single clash, the cyan hurricane crumbled layer by layer like paper mache under the crushing torrent of concentrated sword light.

The torrent’s momentum didn’t lessen as it thundered past his side, much to Saphiras’s astonishment.

SHLICK!

A faint tearing sound, almost inaudible amidst the roar of the violent air currents.

Saphiras looked down to see a gash on the Scale Armor of his right flank.

Dark red blood seeped from the gash, trickling down through the cracks between his scales.

Seeing this, Saphiras’s face instantly turned ashen.

’The wound isn’t deep; it barely even counts as an injury.’

’With the powerful Life Force of a Saint-tier Giant Dragon, a flesh wound of this degree would heal in a single breath.’

’But this humiliation... it is harder to accept than any grievous wound.’

’I, a magnificent Saint, was actually wounded by a Legendary Tier.’

The Giant Dragons watching from a distance fell into a dead silence.

They stared with wide eyes, looking in disbelief at the still-bleeding wound on Saphiras’s flank, their expressions as if they had seen a ghost.

”Th-this is impossible...”

”He actually managed to wound Lord Saphiras!”

”What was that with the sword light? How did its power suddenly increase so much?”

A Legend had actually wounded a Saint!

The scene before them was truly beyond their comprehension.